MYSORE: When the EVMs from Mandya Lok Sabha constituency are opened on Saturday, they will have more than just the fate of actor M H Ambareesh, the Congress candidate and his rival former transport minister N Cheluvarayaswamy of the JD(S), riding on it.
For, at stake — apart from lakhs of rupees — are hundreds of cattle, cycles, motorcycles, cars and even standing crops that people in villages across the constituency have bet on the result of a very keenly fought constituency.
Fans of Ambareesh, a three time MP from Mandya, have in parts of Maddur, Srirangaptna and Mandya taluks betted hugely on the actor. There are many cases in Chikkamandya, Holeperahalli, Palahalli and Hosur where the supporters of Amabreesh and Cheluvarayaswamy have entered into bets with sheep, chicks, bullock carts at stake.
The entire betting in the constituency is unorganised, there are no bookmakers and the bets are often fuelled by party workers. In many cases, the bets are nothing more than the word of one man against the other given in the presence of other villagers.
In Machedoddi village, two farmers have betted four acres each of standing sugarcane crops on their candidates, Ambareesh and Cheluvarayaswamy Swamy Gowda , a resident of Belagola hobli has pledged his two cars in favour of the Congress and Venkatesh of Hosahalli has bet his Maruti 800 on the hope that Ambareesh will not disappoint him.
One of the reasons for big betting this time is that the fight between Congress and JD(S) is too close to call.
Amabreesh had filed his nomination on the last day after a prolonged effort by the BJP to woo the Vokkaliga leader had failed.
Cheluvarayaswamy’s candidature on the other hand was declared early by the JD(S) and he is banking on his development work as a minister to win votes.
Umashanker, a businessmen from Baburayana Koppal, said the odds are in favour of Cheluvarayaswamy in his village. He said JD(S) men, confident of his victory, have offered Rs 10,000 for every Rs 5,000 staked on Amabreesh.
There are also reports that bets are in place on the the margin of victory, lead in assembly segments and also on the results in the neighbouring Mysore, Chamrajnagar and Bangalore rural constituencies.